Funding Options

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme is a government initiative that was launched in 2013. The scheme has had a number of phases, and the final phase of the scheme (called ECO4) starts in July 2022 and will run until March 2026. Under the scheme, eligible householders can receive home improvement grants that increase the energy efficiency of their home. 

To be eligible for an ECO4 grant, you must meet the following criteria:

- You must be a householder who owns or rents their home

and

- Your home must have an EPC rating of band D or below

and

- You must have received a means tested benefit within 18 months of the installation.

*If you only claim Child Benefit, you will also need to meet income criteria (you don't need to meet the income requirements if you have claimed any of the other benefits above).

or

- You must meet your local authorities 'local authority flexible energy' (LA Flex) rules. If you have a household income of less than £35,000 and if you are vulnerable or have a health condition it is worth checking whether you are eligible (we can help with this).

The ECO4 scheme is funded until March 2026 and installers are accepting applications right now. In order to receive a grant under the scheme, you must apply to a registered installer (we will handle this for you). Registered installers have access to the grant scheme and can submit applications on your behalf.

If you think you may be eligible for an ECO4 grant, contact us today and one of our team will be happy to provide further advice. We can help with the whole process by making it stress free and simple for you. We are always on hand to offer any advice and guidance that you may need along the way.

Get in touch with us via our 'contact us' page. We will then assess your property, recommend the most suitable measures for you, and let you know what your options are. As well as conducting and energy assessment of your property, we also include a free ventilation and insulation assessment as part of the process.

After your initial assessment, one of our team will provide you with a personalised report which includes an estimate of the costs and benefits of the recommended measures. 

Once you are happy to proceed we will forward the details to our partner installer who will apply for the grant on your behalf and install the measures! 

The ECO4 scheme is a great way to save money on your energy bills and make your home more comfortable and cheaper to heat. The scheme also offers additional benefits such as:

• Improving the value of your property
• Making your home more energy efficient and eco-friendly
• Reducing your carbon footprint
• Helping to protect the environment.

If eligible, the grants are very generous and can cover up to 100% of the costs of your energy efficiency improvements.

You can find out more about the ECO4 scheme and how it could benefit you by visiting our website, or speaking to one of our friendly team members. We're always happy to help!

So, what are you waiting for? Get in touch with us today and let us help you take advantage of the ECO Scheme before it ends.

The measure types which will currently qualify are:

• Cavity wall insulation
• First-time central heating
• Heating controls
• Loft insulation
• Replacement boilers (boilers must be A-rated for energy efficiency) where there is a non-condensing boiler
• Roof insulation
• Solar Thermal and Solar PV
• Solid wall insulation (either internal or external)
• and more!

The benefits that qualify for ECO4 include:

• Child Tax Credits
• Housing Benefit
• Income Based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Income Based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
• Income Support
• Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit)
• Pension Credit (Savings Credit)
• Universal Credit
• Working Tax Credits

You don't need to be currently claiming to apply, providing you had a successful award within 18 months prior to the grant install. This will be a big relief for Universal Credit claimants who have varying monthly payments, and don't necessarily receive benefit payments every month.

Claiming Child Benefit will also qualify you, but if you only receive Child Benefit payments you will also need to meet the following income rules:

 If your Child Benefit claim is for a single adult the following annual household income limits apply:

with 1 child: £19,800 

with 2 children: £24,600 

with 3 children: £29,400 

with 4 or more children: £34,200

If your Child Benefit claim is for a couple the following annual household income limits apply:

with 1 child: £27,300 

with 2 children: £32,100 

with 3 children: £36,900 

with 4 or more children: £31,700

ECO grants are currently funded by all major energy companies including:

• British Gas
• EDF Energy
• E.ON UK
• npower
• Scottish and Southern Electric (SSE)
• Scottish Power
• Southern Electric

These energy companies instruct registered installers to administer and install the grants on their behalf.

Formerly known as Eco4 Plus – The scheme has undergone a review and currently going through the final stages in the parliament. The scheme will run from 2023 to 2026 with an anticipated spend of £1 billion in total which will improve around 300,000 homes and is expected to generate around £300-400 a year on average per household. The scheme will operate across Great Britain.

GBIS is much more about the installation of single measures, rather than ECO4’s focus on more comprehensive (Whole House Approach) multiple measure upgrades to homes. and there will be no requirement to improve homes by a set number of EPC bands.

GBIS will target two groups:

A minimum of 20% of the scheme will be directed to a ‘low-income group’.

These will be people who have entitlement under ECO4 on the grounds of household circumstances and who are living in EPC E-G rated homes. But are unlikely to receive support under ECO4 because of their property’s physical condition.

The second group will be the ‘general group’ of those living in homes with an EPC rating D-G and within Council Tax bands A-D in England and A-E in Scotland and Wales. Up to 80% of the obligation can be delivered to the general group in line with the Government’s aim that GBIS should support those who do not benefit from existing schemes.

The following insulation measures will be eligible:

• Cavity wall insulation (including party walls)
• Solid wall insulation (both external and internal)
• Loft insulation
• Pitched roof insulation.
• Flat roof insulation
• Underfloor insulation
• Solid floor insulation
• Park home insulation
• Room-in-roof insulation

Households in either group will only be able to receive one measure. Owner-occupied households in the low-income group will be able to receive heating controls as well as an insulation measure.